The Authors

Christy Karras

Christy Karras is the author or co-author of four books: Motorcycle Touring in the Pacific Northwest, Motorcycle Touring in the Southwest; More than Petticoats: Remarkable Utah Women, and Scenic Driving: Utah. She is a regular contributor to the Seattle Timesand has written for publications ranging from Salt Lake City Weeklyto the New York Times. She writes about subject ranging from arts and entertainment to outdoors and travel.

She presents classes and workshops on writing, editing, and publishing, and advises select organizations on topics ranging from publishing to product development.

She has been associate editor at Wasatch Journalmagazine, a reporter and critic for The Salt Lake Tribune, and a general-assignment reporter for The Associated Press in Portland, Oregon and Salt Lake City.

Her life has been more interesting than she ever intended. She was a White House intern; won $64,000 on the "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?" game show; and met the Queen of England in a scene later portrayed in the movie "The Queen" (filmmakers did not consult her).

When she is not on the road, she divides her time between Seattle and Salt Lake City.

 

Stephen Zusy

Having a bit of the vagabond spirit, Stephen has lived in a long list of places including Denver, Tucson, and Salt Lake City―all of which have provided plenty of opportunity to travel and recreate in the Southwest.

He has a degree in business but a passion for photography, a combination that has served him well. He has worked in real estate in New York, commercial photography in northern California, and as a photojournalist at the Park Record and the Salt Lake Tribune in Utah. He has done work for a diverse range of publications and news outlets, including Getty Images, Wasatch Journal magazine, and Entertainment Weekly.

A motorcycle enthusiast since he was a child, he has ridden all manner of motorcycles over the years. He spent his youth riding mini-bikes and dirt bikes, then graduated to street bikes (against his parents’ wishes) shortly after graduating from high school. On rare occasions when he doesn’t have a bike, it doesn’t take long for a little twitch to develop in his throttle wrist. There are few sounds he loves more than the roar of a motorcycle engine and no place he’d rather be than on the back of his bike, twisting back the throttle, searching for an endless series of perfectly banked curves.

For now, home is Park City, Utah, but he’s considering a move to a place where he can ride year-round.